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God is the master at perfect timing. Going back to my piece on silent comedy one of the great gifts of really quality comedy is the timing,particularly the timing between characters. Old classic series like MASH or Cheers rely upon the quality of the interaction and getting the killer line at just the right point for maximum impact. Some stand-up is exactly the same, it is not the line that is funny it is the way it is delivered.
I often find the same is true of God. Not often in a comedic sense but in a perfect timing sense. Just when We need to hear something the master timer just gets it right and when He does, the apparently mundane or insignificant takes on a completely new sense of importance. I have found this to be true on many occasions in my walk with god and this happened again this morning. Over the last few days I have been questioning a couple of things to do with my calling and the future. Partly, this has been to do with the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and also my passion for mission. However, as I was leading a prayer meeting this morning te Lord reminded me that I was where he wanted me to be and that should be enough. that I should just enjoy Jesus and trust Him for the future. Why do I sometimes need reassurance? How easily I can be robbed of the joy of my journey with Jesus? These are things I need to reflect more upon.
One of the great things about this job is the chance to preach at different places across the country. I have had some times of real personal growth and encouragements through these services. On Sunday i was at Queens Park baptist church in Glasgow. The people were great , really friendly and open, and it was a such an easy place to preach in. At the end the pastor Ian told the congregation that he felt God was calling them to raise the bar. The Lord expected them to lift their faith and expectation, to no longer be content with where they were but to crank it up, having greater vision and confidence in the work of the Lord. I felt it was a word both for me and others. This is a time to step up to the plate ,to trust and build confidence within the church in Scotland . I believe that due to decline we have allowed our vision of God to decrease and our confidence in the gospel ebb away. Time to raise the bar, to have a healthy discontent that leads to risk for God and a passion for prayer. I am really grateful for the peoplethat God uses to challenge me to raise the bar in my life and ministry. Those who challenge me to never be content with my knowledge of God, my experience in the Spirit or my service.Who could you encourage? and what would it mean for you to raise the bar in service to God?
Hi I’m back. I took a break from blogging for a few months there was a few reasons for that, i may go into them another day. However, i feel that it is important to reflect on faith, life, death and other certainties in Scotland. On Friday i went to a silent film night hosted by Paul Merton. The whole thing was brilliantly done. What really stayed with me was that sometimes words are not required. Words can be a lazy form of communication. To watch Buster Keaton convey so much with a look, a movement was to see creative genius. The thought, practice and sometimes risk involved was amazing and brought real joy to the audience. It made me think about how frightened we are of silence. Sometimes our lives are filled with the mundane , incessant noise, and we never stop and wait. Perhaps we need to practice silence so that we can re-learn to hear the still small voice of God. What might our worship look like if we used silence creatively when we gathered. Can we ,at times develop a rythym to worship and to the whole of life, allowing us to reflect and to have our souls renewed.
I continue to think about our drive for power. Would it be fair to say that whenever the church has sought power it’s missionary zeal has declined? I am not saying that we should seek persecution but rather that marginalisation may have good effects for the church. It forces us to re-evaluate what is central to our calling as the people of God. Perhaps our weakness victory through sacrifice.would force us to pray and rely upon the Lord. Our drive for numbers, voice, influence in the world have all acted as a temptation away from counter- culture community which is our calling. A radical kingdom people who follow a lord who lived as a servant. This i very difficult, there is something in all of us which pushes us towards success in terms of power rather than
I have just had a really good couple of days in Aberdeen. Aberdeen is a city I enjoy, I always feel encouraged by what God is doing. Over the couple of days I met seven or eight church leaders for coffee. It was great to catch up with friends and also to chat to one or two people for the first time. It was a first chance to really chat to martin Clark and listen to the “sold out ” story. It was good to be reminded of the ways in which God honours poeple as they step out in faith. To hear about 1000 young people coming to worship/teaching events was great.
A throw away comment made me reflect upon the cross, and what it means to be a person shaped by the finished work of Jesus. I am not talking about the amazing sacrifice of Jesus or my life through Him. I am thinking about my day to day life as someone who has to take up a cross and follow. It is about powerlessness and pain. It is about finding hope in the midst of despair. It is counter-cultural radical living in an age of selfishness. I sometimes get tired of organisations and individuals making a grab for influence and power. Of the next person or group building their kingdom in the name of Jesus. I am challenged as to whether i do that my self or for the “Alliance” To take a cross must be to no longer care about reputation or influence but to trust in a God who turns weakness into strength and sadness into joy. To trust in a God who does not seek the hegemony of the church but its radical loving service. Day by Day am i ready to be a cross carrier?
At last I have a bit of time. I have been away a lot recently (more about that later)
A few weeks ago I got a comment from Cristian Liberal. Essentially he has problems with Evangelicalism which he/she has equated with a pro-war, judgemental and graceless attitude. How can people who talk about the peace of Jesus be so angry? I was asked.
This has made me reflect upon what shapes us as people and how we become what we are. I am not going to go through all the doctrinal stuff. I can sign the E.A. basis of faith. However, I think that the Holy Spirit uses all sorts of people and circumstances to shape us , and little by little changed to become more like Jesus.
For me to be a follower of Jesus is to believe in transformation of individuals and society. It is to recognise that God is a missional God who is constantly at work and I am called to try to get involved in His work. It is to believe that God works through all sorts of people, not just those like me. It is to be surprised by the ways in which the Lord works. Faith is partly about openness to others and humility in ourselves. I believe in working with people of faith and no faith in matters of justice, poverty. global issues etc. I believe in respect.
I think the church is a miracle of Gods grace and that the faith community, living in radical love are agents of hope in a needy world. AS we pray, work and share the good news of Jesus then the Spirit brings about change. As church we need each other, we need to praise, share and minister to each other. Following Jesus is an adventure of hope, love tears and frustrations. It is a mix of certainty and mystery and I wouldn’t change it.
Throughout my life God has used a whole lot of things and people to shape me, and continue to do so. I want to think more about this in the future. What are the main influences on who you are becoming? What are thre core values of your life?
I have been in London all week. I was down mainly for the EA directors meeting and council. However, the most significant thing was the farewell to Joel Edwards as General Director. Joel is a man of real vision. For the last twelve years he has tried to draw Evangelicals together and also to engage with others. He has tried to encourage a balance of grace and truth and position the Alliance as a movement for change in the market place. It has not always been easy but he has led the work with a clear focus. So now the alliance moves into a time of transition as we wait to see who the Lord calls into leadership and what direction we will move in. For me it is a really interesting time. The two people who confirmed my call to E.A. Joel and Mike Morris have bothmoved on and the leadership is changing. I long to see the alliance encouraing faith, creating relevant mission and faithful prayer. we have to encourage the church and transform the world. An effective alliance helps equip Christians in all areas of life to live lives that make a difference. What is your visin for the future? and if you have any suggestions for a new leader of the Alliance (sensible or not) let me know.
Last week i spent a great day with the young people who are involved in DNA in Scotland. DNA is a year out programme based around a mix of teaching, local church and evangelism and it is headed up by Pete Gilbert. I was really impressed by the whole thing. There was an openness in the young folk and a desire for Jesus which was wonderful to see. We talked about prayer and spiritual life and finished the day with a time of prayer. I left the day really encouraged about the quality of young Christian people in Scotland. Their love for Jesus and desire to see Him glorified in the nation. I also like the balance of working in the local church and getting the teaching and sharing. There is no substitute for getting young people involved, harnessing their energy and their joy in the Lord. In our churches our ways of helping develop disciples is by teaching and example but how often do we take risks with people and allow them to stretch their faith by leading and giving of themselves. I believe that leaders have sometimes hindered the growth of young followers of Jesus by being too controlling and refusing to take chances with people. If you are a leader how are you helping to create a new generation of leaders?
After doing the seminar at Clan I moved on to spend a couple of days at the Imagine youth festival in Inverurie. I was taking part in a seminar and speaking at an evening celebration. It was brilliant. To see over 600 young people praising God and really up for it was great and to witness God,s gracious presence in the lives of so many young folk was just inspiring. there was a hunger for the Lord and many young people moved on significantly in their Christian lives. It would be great if these young people get the support and mentoring when they go back into their local church and also that the church might get some of the energy and enthusiasm from the young.
I was really grateful to Chuck Freeland and the team for the chance to get involved. It was also great to see Alistair, my fellow worker with EA do some great seminar work. It has brilliant to see Alistair grow and develop in the work this year.
How much do we value what young people have to say in church and how well are we mentoring them for the work of the Kingdom?
It was great to be a small part of Clan Gathering again this year. I was asked to take a seminar looking at prayer and mission. I wondered how it would go and what the response might be. My point was that we often see prayer as only a way of growing our own spiritual life rather than being also a tool in the extending of the kingdom. Taking prayer actively out of the church building and into the world. It went really well. A lot of people turned up and the response was encouraging. People wanted to share and to pray.
I was at Clan for two days and really benefited from it. The worship was good and i thought the speakers really tried to be both missional and outward looking. What was your experience of Clan this year? How could you get your church to pray more for community transformation?
